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Near silence, disrupted only by the faint hum of hollow crystals and the
sound of a piano with long and vibrant tunes, though still sad. A figure
sits on a ledge just under the window and stares out, past it's
reflection, towards the well of dark clouds like ashes and smoke partially
covering the moon marred with craters— with dark spots that supports no
life. Just like the figure's heart.
Beneath, the streets are empty, but shadows dance in corners from the
street-lamps, buildings with dark windows, no one there. Though the scar
over his right eye is gone, thanks to the lady that has shown selflessness
and kindness were none was deserved, he has kept the burn mark over his
left eye as a reminder. The figure could barely look at himself now. Not
because of the scars, but because of what he sees when he looks into his
eyes.

The clouds cover the moon.
The ghost plays a even sadder tune.
Something heavy pulls beneath the surface.

Was rightousness just a joke? Was equality just a concept? What has he
done wrong? Did he take the wrong path? Is that why he's slowly
disappearing, why his heart is fading?

"Look into my eyes, tell me what I want to hear. You know we think the
same." Says the figure, to the ghost playing the piano, and she looks up
slowly, and straight into the cloaked figure's eyes.
"I don't see a monster, Kureno." She said. "I see a man who's heart is
too kind for it's own good. So what? You decided to fight the tide, and
push it back. You decided you wanted to discover yourself— and you did.
You found your heart was tempered with the flames of strife and steeled by
loss. What do you feel now?" Her voice was like the melody she played. 'In
a field of crystals' was the song. No words. Just note after note that
stings Kureno in a way he could never imagine. He was crumbling.
"I feel guilt. I feel pain and sorrow. It's like all I've ever done was
wrong and futile. I just hurt people— People I /care/ about. I cannot
just go around and beg for forgiveness, and then cause even more pain by
escaping judgement, Hotaru!" The figure shouted, but the ghost simply
laughed.
"Hate is your poison, and it cannot harm you. You've weathered all the
lies and illusions, and you should fear them no more. You've tasted the
sky filled with smoke, and your tears have soaked the earth trampled in
greed. You are ready for peace and for wisdom. So, why do you hesitate?"
The ghost says as she slowly fades.
Kaede sighed as he closed his eyes..
Kaede's eyes then open, and he finds himself in the same spot as before.
An abandoned building, due for repairs. There was no piano here, nor the
hollowed out crystals. There was just silence, and no ghosts. Was it a
dream? But there was the guilt, the sorrow and the pain.
The figure presses it's hand against the cold surface of the window.
"That is not what I wanted to hear, Hotaru… It would be so easier if you
too thought I deserved some kind of punishment."
The window suddenly cracked, as if answering his thoughts..
He simply chuckled at that and shook his head. Amused. And he cast one
more glance to the streets below before starting to hum to the song from
the dream, remembering the words..

"I woke in a field of crystals yesterday,
I closed my eyes and it was gone
I walked a unknown path today,
As my heart turned to stone
And I've seen stars grow distant in time
As if my darkness enveloped the heavens
And in the absence of the crystal's shine
The world became a feast for ravens
But tomorrow, I know
All the pain and the scars
Will fade under a layer of red snow
Falling over a field of crystals"